Ridgefield Film Festival Kicks Off, Pays Tribute to Joe Consentino

From October 18-21 the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival (RIFF) will showcase over 100 curated films from around the world! Peabody, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy award-winning filmmakers and actors will participate in this jam-packed four-day film extravaganza with something for everyone. Compelling dramas, thought-provoking documentaries, imaginative animated shorts, comedies, horror, sci-fi, and family-friendly fare.

Tonight, Thursday, October 18 RIFF opens with WILDLIFE, actor Paul Dano’s (12 Years a Slave, Love & Mercy) directorial debut film, Wildlife which will be on screen at The Ridgefield Playhouse.

Dano, a 2002 graduate of Wilton High School, in Connecticut, wrote the adapted screenplay along with Zoe Kazan from Richard Ford’s American classic. Wildlife starring Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbourgh, and Bill Camp, centers on the story of a teenage boy who witnesses the decay of his parent’s marriage after their move to Montana.

This year’s festival pays tribute to the late Ridgefield resident and filmmaker Joe Consentino by establishing the Joe Consentino Emerging Filmmaker Award. Consentino, a former Boston Red Sox player, photographer, and director/producer/cinematographer is best known for the documentaries Baghdad Diary (2007) and Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story (1996), and the TV series “The Big Blue Marble.” He founded the Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society and was renown in the community for his dedication to the craft of filmmaking and supporting new directors.

Seven films—five narratives and two documentaries, by first-time feature filmmakers are in competition for the inaugural award: 2030 directed by Johnny Boston; Are You Glad I’m Here directed by Noor Gharzeddine; Dad is Pretty directed by Park-soo-min and Kim seung-hyeob; High Resolution directed by Jason Lester; Mary Goes Round directed by Molly McGlynn; The California No directed by Ned Ehrbar and Tre Maison Dasan directed by Dinali Tiller. Sandra Consentino will announce the winner of the award.